Situated 30 minutes outside of Mérida, Hacienda Tekik de Regil is a historic wedding venue full of hand painted murals, stunning architecture and Ichcansihó birds, one of the region’s most beloved birds (also known as T’hō birds). To make things easier (and take pressure off our friends who couldn’t travel during 2021), we opted for no wedding party. Instead, I got ready with my sister and best friend while my husband and his brother napped (a moment hilariously captured by KT Merry at both weddings)… DECOR We flanked the interior and exterior of the church with actual palm trees, incorporated the Mexican lasso tradition into our ceremony and laughed at one another reflecting back on the 2.5 years of wedding planning. It felt like we had been waiting for this moment for a lifetime! Taking inspiration from the hacienda’s murals, we asked our illustrator (Ashley D Studio) to incorporate motifs from the murals into the invitation suite and wedding signage. Our tableware was a vintage set gifted from our caterer’s grandmother (Margarita Zoreda). We served traditional Yucatan cuisine and cocktails followed by live salsa music by a 12-piece local Cuban orchestra, an homage we wanted to pay to my grandfather who was a salsa composer… BRIDAL LOOKS Being the procrastinator I am, I left shopping for my wedding dress to the very last minute. (In my defense, boutiques reopened in August…our wedding was in November.) I knew exactly what I wanted which made shopping trunk shows and combing through collections very difficult because I couldn’t find what I envisioned. Most brides don’t know how much you can customize a dress to fit your vision. With a few tweaks and alternations, you can create a custom dress. Will it cost you extra? Absolutely, but the price pales in comparison to the cost of a custom wedding dress from a top designer. (Trust me, I looked into it.) Besides, working with a designer means handing over the reigns. If you have a strong vision, it might make sense for you to construct your dream dress using a simple gown as your foundation. Choosing a reputable team with longstanding relationships is a must so it should come at no surprise that I returned to Ever After Miami and worked closely with their outstanding team on this project. To keep a consistent thread throughout both weddings, I wore a Carolina Herrera gown from the Fall 2021 collection. My dress was restyled three different ways throughout the night… For the ceremony, the team at Ever After Miami made a custom cathedral veil and bolero jacket using Carolina Herrera lace from an older collection. For the reception, I removed those pieces and added an oversized custom bow to the skirt. For the after-party, I removed the convertible skirt, switched bows and wore vintage-thrifted accessories from D. Brett Benson and Church Mouse Thrift Store Palm Beach. My pearl clutch was a gift from my mother – formerly my grandmother’s. THE MISTAKES And yes, we had a few laughable moments during our wedding! Our priest who “(re)officiated” our wedding didn’t know my husband’s name (referring to him as Peter instead of Pedro, lol). We accidentally kissed twice during our ceremony because we had no clue what was going on. Both our father’s broke their chairs and fell to the ground. Our tent couldn’t support the weight of our flower chandeliers at the last minute. We had clunky timelines (who knew Mexican weddings didn’t have speeches?!) Music mishaps. One of the buses got lost and pulled over by the police. A dog on the dance floor (lol, at least he was cute!). Honestly, it felt like a romantic comedy and I was convinced everyone noticed. And yet, we remained eternally grateful to get through such a challenging chapter with a great team knowing everyone did their best. As with most weddings, mistakes are bound to happen! In the end, it didn’t really matter. Sure, it took me weeks to reel back the emotion and get on solid ground but that’s life, right? And ironic to happen to me, if I’m being honest, because I’m a “recovering perfectionist.” It’s as if the Universe laughed at my best-laid plans for a lavish wedding and decided it was my turn for things to go awry. And yes, I’m referring to my sweet husband’s hilarious proposal where, bless him, everything went wrong despite his attempt to make it perfect. You can read more about it here! I guess we have a thing for weddings?! I love you so much mi amor! Despite the postponements, changes, hilarious mishaps, hoops and endless hurdles thrown at us in the age of the wedding planning during a pandemic, we’ve been shown (again and again) what truly matters: our love… …and how to smile through it all! I hope you enjoyed our story. I love our story. It’s perfectly imperfect in every way. Xo, Stephanie – A huge thank you to our wedding team! Planning: Baku Eventos Photography: KT Merry Videography: Peyton Frank Floral design: Juan Pablo Camera Welcome Cocktail Venue: Casa T’Ho Wedding Venue: Hacienda Tekik de Regil Catering: Margarita Zoreda Linens: Acacia Home Merida Illustrations: Ashley D Studio Cuban Orchestra: Siboney Orchestra Lighting and audio: Secosur Getting ready: vintage nightgown from Dina C’s Consignment; custom robe by seamstress, Maria Kaplan, Aphrodite Design’s Wedding Dress: semi-custom, Carolina Herrera via Ever After Miami Jacket, veil, bows: Carolina Herrera lace; custom via Ever After Miami Maid of Honor Dress; Mother of Bride: Alexia Maria Accessories: Sophie Billie Brahe; vintage via D. Brett Benson; Church Mouse Thrift Store Palm Beach; grandmother’s pearl clutch Makeup: Adri Calero, Merida, Mexico Hair: Chase Thomas, Palm Beach, FL Home base; Farewell Brunch venue: Casa Lecanda Boutique Hotel